Whisper Me A Love Song, Volume 6

January 23rd, 2023

On a white cover, two girls in grey Japanese school uniforms. The taller of the two with wild, long black hair, embraces the shorter, with light brown hair from behind. In black and orange lettering, Whisper Me A Love Song, a white number 6 in a guitar pick shaped lozenge, Eku Takeshima in orange letters. Reddish orange cosmos bloom in the background.In most high school manga, summer is a time for our protagonists to go to the beach or pool, and make beautiful memories. For Himari, this summer will be the busiest of her life. Somehow she has become the manager of Lorelei, the greatest rivals Yori-sempai’s band, SS Girls, has.

Luckily, Himari is not as much in a pickle as that sounds, since the members of Lorelei are not only treating her well, but teaching her useful skills. Himari is able to offer some promotional suggestions, as well. Honestly…she’s thriving.

Himari finally asks Shiho what the deal with her leaving SS Girls is, and she is invited on an outing as a response. What could the big secret be? It’s not so much a secret, as a teenage unused to processing complicated feelings of /spoilers/.

There’s only one problem. Himari’s time with Yori-sempai has been slashed to pieces and she’s worried that too much distance between Yori and she might hurt their relationship. Yori is putting a brave and generous face on, but it’s killing her with jealousy. Yori admits that, and they affirm their feelings for one another. Yori’s plans for a first kiss don’t pan out, but at a summer festival, they finally get the time to just talk and be together and have the romantic kiss they deserve on a giant two-page spread. Yay for beautiful summer memories!

When they are caught in a sudden summer deluge, they end up at Yori’s house. As the volume ends, Yori contemplates what it will mean to having her girlfriend overnight. I admit, watch Yori stress about being attracted to Himari is a kinda cute. I think I get why Aki teases her all the time. ^_^

I know I keep saying this, but I really do love this manga. It’s sweet and genuine and has feels without manipulation or creeping. I love Takeshima-sensei’s art, and the “timing” of her page layouts. The characters are universally likable (even Shiho, sometimes.) I cannot wait for this anime and just really hope the animation team does it right. _^ Certainly, I can say with enthusiasm, that Kodansha handles this manga beautifully. Kebin Steinbach gives all the characters their own voice…you can really hear Himari and Yori and Shiho….beautiful lettering from Jennifer Skarupa, Tiff Joshua TJ Ferrentini’s editing gives it that final polish and once again Matthew Akuginow’s cover is just a lovely thing, with a great contrast between the smooth gloss and textured finish. All around, a fantastic edition.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

Volume 7 will bring the great reveal of Shiho’s dark secret, out in English this June from Kodansha!

Posted in English Manga, Whisper Me A Love Song, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Comic Yuri Hime February 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年2月号)

January 22nd, 2023

A girl wearing a navy blue Japanese school uniform and white school bag, faces away from us, looking across a train crossing at two girls in the same uniform, walking toward her, smiling and waving. The gate is up, but she does not appear to be moving.Mebachi’s cover story continues, this time with the addition of a young woman with a beat-poem-esque inner monologue, as she sees the two from last volume. Will she reach her destination? Would it be better if she never did? We’ll have to wait and find out. Somehow I felt this appropriate for the cover of Comic Yuri Hime February 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年2月号.) I’m still recovering from the explosion of color and texture on last year’s issues and this palate and design seem so stark in contrast. It’s not at all bad, it’s just very different.

Rae and Claire have reached Euclid, Rae and Misha’s hometown, in this chapter of “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” They meet Hans, a local businessman, so we see a side of Rae’s life we had not previously seen…even if Claire cannot see it, yet. And they run into Dole, who makes some harsh arguments against addressing poverty. Their vacation is off to a rocky start!

Chinese-esque fantasy about  death doula and her bodyguard starts to develop in “Kono You de Ichiban Sutekina Owarikata.” I hope this series develops a plot, now that we have the basic outline. What I want to see from Yuri manga in this magazine now is a bold approach to story-telling. They are two girls who live together…less of why and more of and then what happens?

“Haduki’s Osoto Gohan” is an idea in search of a hook. Clearly Yuri and food work well and camping is pretty hot, but just doing another Yuru Camp, isn’t gonna cut it, so we meet Fuuka who has just moved out in order to start her adult life. But her dreams of serving delicious food to her family and friends are not met, because her apartment – most especially the kitchen – is small, now her family is not nearby and she has no friends. In an amazing coincidence she wins a huge box of meat at the store. Upon arriving home, Fuuka encounters her neighbor Yomogi, who mostly camps in the garden of the apartment building. Now she has a friend and food, but the kitchen is still small. But since Yomogi is a relative of the landlord, she’s allowed to cook outside…and so, a camping-at-home-Yuri-food-manga is born. One hopes that it will be less convenient in the Yuri than it was on the setup, but it seems unlikely. Don’t get me wrong. I love Yuri and food stories, this just seemed a tad lazy.

Big doings in “Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita”by Usui Shio! Rio has gotten a job and Ruriko told Kurumi that she likes her. Kurumi’s clued in now that this is more than just friends like, maybe this is a step forward for her?

Also big things happening in “Odoriba Skirt ni Naru”  – the first contest toward the Quadrille is upon them. Michiru and Kiki are *ready* and Kiki’s former partner, Shion, and Kiki have a long talk about the past.  The results surprise everyone, and now the stakes are higher. Michiru and Kiki are starting to notice how cute each other are, and thinking about feelings they hadn’t had before.

One of the new columns in the back is called “Design Yuri Hime.” It’s talking about the various looks the magazine has had over the year. I also learn that Nakamura Seitaro, the founding editor of Yuri Hime, is back in the Editor-in-Chief seat, now that Umezama Kanako has left for Alphalopolis. But this issue was about one of my favorite design changes, the year when they began to include the cover novels. The first one was by Fukami Makoto, with art by Kazuaki (whose art I still really like) and cover design by BALCOLONY. This still is one of my favorite years of cover art. ^_^ The story was messy and not Fukami’s best work. The whole year was collected into a book called GIRL’S UPRISING, which I reviewed in 2016, even though it was the 2011 cover. I am going to try and read these columns, because the year-long themed covers are a joy. I might not like every year, but I love the idea behind it.

And Muromaki’s column about overseas Yuri fandom is, for obvious reasons, very interesting. I’ll be really interested to see the results of their poll (I assume it was for the column.) My own Yuri Fandom polls results will be my 5000th post here on Okazu, which should be….this week! Keep an eye out for both.

A lot of the new stories are not appealing to me so far this year, several for the art and at least one about cyber-harassment and a few continuing series that aren’t my thing. I think the magazine is striking a balance between slice-of life and adult content, but I still would really like to see some honest action or scifi stories. And sports. I cannot understand why this magazine almost never runs a sports story? It seems much more likely to fall in love with a teammate than a person camping in your yard or who wants you to record their final statement.  Ah well. ^_^

What I do like here, I like a lot. I just want more of that! ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 7

The March Issue hit shelves in Japan last week (so, for one brief second I am caught up…hah!).

 

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Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – January 20, 2022

January 21st, 2023

A blue silhouette of a girl with a white flower in her hair, embracing the earth. Blue block letters read YNN Yuri Network News. Art by Lissa P. For Okazu.

Yuricon 2023

We are off to an amazing start for Yuricon 2023. The first discussion video will be recorded this week, as will my “Opening Ceremonies” video. (This will be posted when our new mascot art is completed. I am an otaku, after all and have ideas.)

We have almost a dozen confirmed panels/ presentations/discussions lined up so far and another half dozen proposals, but the Internet is nearly infinite and hope you will fill out the Application form to talk about your Yuri obsession, whether it be a series, or a character or a subgenre that really drew you in. Or, maybe you want to talk about art of fanfic or a Light Novel series that changed your life. Making Space for folks and different perspectives is a key concept for this event. 

Don’t self-censor – Apply to run a Yuricon 2023 panel or do a presentation today! We want to know all about your Yuri. All panels will be recorded and shared on Youtube, but I am hoping to do at least one livestream event in Q3. ^_^

 

Yuri Manga

New items up on the Yuricon Store! I’m about halfway in clearing out the backlog of stuff to get up. ^_^

The Summer You Were There, Volume 2 his shelves last month in English from Seven Seas.

The print volume of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is up for pre-order for a May release.

Takeshima Eku’s Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 7, in which we learn the Truth(TM) about Shiho.

Mejirobana Saku, Volume 3 (メジロバナの咲く) by Nakamura Asumiko continues her first Yuri title with what happens after Ruby manages to stay in school.

This is a 2020 Yuri rom-com, Lily Triangle, (リリィ・トライアングル) by the creator of Futari Monologue.

Ichijinsha has a new anthology out this week, Cosplay Yuri Ecchi Anthology (コスプレ百合えっちアンソロジー).

And, while you’re getting Qualia The Purple Light Novel, you should know that there is also a manga for it. Seven Seas will release the Qualia The Purple Complete Manga Collection  in June of this year.

 

 

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Polish fan group Yuri Daily on Facebook has written a review of 2007 doujinshi Manga Carmilla Girls Only, collection. This collection was created by Carmilla magazine, a Japanese lesbian magazine that ran in the mid-2000s which featured 18+manga, club news and stories and sex-forward lesbian media. There are some 3rd-party sellers on Amazon JP with copies to sell, if you’re interested. I reviewed an issue of Carmilla almost 20 years ago here on Okazu. It wasn’t for me at all, but it might be for you.

Vincisblog has reviewed all three volume of the German Edition of Goumoto’s Yuri manga, Umi to Yoru, out as Night and Sea from Taschebuch in Germany. Start with their review of Volume 1.

 

Yuri Anime

Birdie Wing is on the short list for “Best Original Animation” Crunchyroll award and the official account on Twitter is asking you to help them win! And now, so am I.  These are the worst awards voting ever, because we can stuff the ballot box meaning that whatever is most popular wins. So let’s do this thing. ^_^

Not-Yuri, but of interest and looking mighty fine, the Sailor Cosmos trailer dropped this week, with our first look at the Three Lights/Sailor Starlights and the haunting notes of ‘Search For Your Love!” Rafael Antonio Pineda has the details on ANN.

Steve Jones and Christopher Farris take a look at the new season of Isekai anime and determine that The Magical Revolution Of The Reincarnated Princess And The Genius Young Lady is worth watching. Line of the review is Chris’ “…Anis having more personality and face game in her pinky finger than 90% of the potato-tagonists of seasonal isekai shovelware combined.” Outstanding.

 

 

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Yuri Live Action

Again via Yuri Daily, Ohsawa Yayoi’s short Takeout Dekimasuka? will be getting a stage adaptation! This will have 6 performances, March 10 through 12 at Performing Gallery & Cafe Ezorabako. The comic upon which this play is based was part of her 2DK, GPen Aftertime Short Story Collection from 2021.

If sapphic content from other than Japan interests you, I highly recommend you follow douqi on Twitter and check out their list of Asian WLW Dramas list.

ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pined has the news that the Live-Action If My Favorite Pop Idol Made it to the Budokan, I Would Die Film Opens on May 12.

 

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan has  key visuals from their upcoming project, Summer At The End Of The Universe up on their official Twitter account.

YNN Correspondent Patricia B. (who just reviewed 77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation this week on Okazu) wants you to know about a number of sapphic VNs:

First up is Super Lesbian Animal RPG by ponett, which is exactly what it sounds like: an RPG with anthropomorphic characters and sapphic leads. On top of the main cast entirely being comprised of sapphic women, including transgender women, the majority of the surrounding cast is also very queer. I found it to be a very fun and well-made role-playing game, full of heart, humour, and a good challenge for those familiar with the genre. This game can be purchased on either Steam or itch.io.

The second is The Elevator Game with Catgirls by NoBreadStudio. This is a horror visual novel with point-and-click adventure elements. You play as Asahi, who is trying to find her girlfriend, Kirin, who went missing after attempting a ritual known as the “Elevator Game”. And yes, Asahi and Kirin are both catgirls. This game can be purchased on Steam or itch.io:

The third and final game is Margo by ygretz. It is a short, laid-back, if slightly melancholic, point-and-click adventure game about a day in the life of a young woman named Margo. The game is free, but there are ways to support the developer on the store pages. This game can be purchased on Steam or itch.io:

 

Yuri Prose Collections

Yuri Hakaarashi (百合墓荒らし) is a Yuri short story collection by Tougen Natsuo.

Joining the pack is Yuri Short Story Collection wiz (百合小説コレクション wiz) a collection of stories by 8 writers.

Along with Zerogoh magazine and the Yuri Hime/Pixiv/Hayakawa Literary Yuri contest (of which I reviewed Volume 1, read and disliked Volume 2, so never reviewed and am currently reading Volume 3, and selected shorts from the Volume 4 are running in Comic Yuri Hime this year,) Yuri writers and readers have some options these days!

 

Other News

Joanna Cayanan on ANN notes that Taguchi Shoichi, the creator of Yuri travel/food/hangin’ around manga Futari Escape, is looking for some assistants!

 

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons who make the YNN weekly report possible! Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi to help us give Guest Reviewers a raise and to help us support Yuri creators!

Become a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Network News | No Comments »


Galette No.23 (ガレット)

January 19th, 2023

Pictured: On a pale background, a woman with light green hair with closed eyes hold large abstract flowers, leaning over an orange-haired woman laying down, looking at us. In English the cover says "let's hang out." Orange letters read ガレット and 23 in a blue/purple hexagon. In Japanese white letters say "人遊びしよ. Let’s start with the important stuff. I purchased Galette No.23 (ガレット) through the Galette Booth account, so I could get it with a bonus clearfile. Because I’m like that. If you are also like that, (and I assume you are ^_^) check out that link option on the Yuricon Store.

So this issue of Galette came with a pretty mini clearfile with art by Morinaga Milk featuring Yuna and Rena from her series, “Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan,” which is now out in English from Seven Seas as My Cute Little Kitten, Volume 1. ^_^ This is a very pretty series, and I like both the characters, but the narrative has very much banged into a wall repeatedly, until this chapter.  There wasn’t a lot of conflict, so most of what drove this story was misunderstanding, caused by refusal to just have a conversation. If know me, you’ve heard me refer to that as Jondalar Syndrome (after a character from The Clan of the Cave Bear series.) It’s not my favorite plot complication, to be honest. But, finally they have at least one part of the conversation, phew!

In “Liberty,” Liz is going to implode, I think. She’s got a head full of anxieties and won’t rely on Maki or anyone else. Also a frustrating plot complication, but unlike Rena and Yuna, Liz is absolutely that kind of person, and all we can ever do is just wait for Liz to snap and Maki to glue her back together. Momono Moto’s art is especially good this issue.

I have come to realize that I have been reading Yorita Miyuki’s “Houkenshitsu no Ano Onna” waiting for it to wrap up. It just seemed like it was a one-shot, then a two-shot, then three and so on. I have stopped reading it like that and am hoping this story about two teachers in love keeps going for a while. Duh, me.

Hakamada Mera’s “Aikata System” continues, this time doing a bit of a core sample on Izumi. Honestly, I keep wanting to run into the scenes with Kairo and scream, “Do it! Break this system!” I hope she brings the system to the ground like a statue of a confederate general. ^_^

As with every issue, there were other stories I read and enjoyed, these are some highlights. I always look forward to Galette.  I’d love to see some new growth in the number and kind of stories we’re getting. It’s a bit schoolgirl heavy for me right now, but I have hope that the new year will bring change. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Volume 24 is available in print and digitally, as well as to all backers on their crowdfunding sites, Fantia and Pixiv Fanbox.

Posted in Galette, Magazines | No Comments »


77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation, Guest Review by Patricia B.

January 18th, 2023

Title image of 77 Oleander Avenue, Ghost House Investigation, written out in white letters. The image is dark and moody, showing a brown-skinned woman with red short curly hair, hunched over herself, blood visible on her white tank top. A wine bottle label shows a woman in a red dress. A broken window in the background.Welcome to our first Guest Review Wednesday of 2023! I’m extremely pleased to welcome back Guest Reviwer, Patricia B. on her own account and also because she is here to tell us all about a Visual Novel of note. Thank you Patricia, the floor is yours!

My name is Patricia Baxter (she/her). I am a bisexual autistic writer who has previously written articles concerning how media represents different marginalized communities. You can find more of my work through my personal website “Autistic Observations”.

July 22nd, 2022.  Tabby, a paranormal investigator, wakes up in a dilapidated and abandoned house without her phone, wallet, keys, or memory of how even she got there.  She quickly realizes that she is not alone in the house, upon meeting a ghost named Evie who is significantly better at being adorable than she is at scaring people.  Tabby soon sets up a plan: find her lost items, remember why she woke up at 77 Oleander Avenue, learn more about Evie, and perhaps even uncover the truth behind the house’s final residents: the Larkspur family.  That is if she can survive the night.

77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation is a visual novel that reminded me just how much I love video games and the unique forms of storytelling that can only be experienced through the medium.  Runa Liore Winters pulled no punches in crafting a horror game that is deeply unsettling to experience, even upon re-exploration.  The writing, visuals, and audio design, all work in tandem to create a place that may have been a house once but was never really home.  The sound design deserves especially high praise, both for its soundtrack and sound effects, which not only allow the player to empathize with the experiences of the protagonists but also feel the house’s hostility surround them through their headphones.  Furthermore, the interactive and cyclical nature of video games helps add to the terror of being trapped in a haunted house.  

At its core, 77 Oleander Avenue is a queer horror game both in terms of its protagonists and central themes.  Tabby and Evie are two delightful lesbians who are the type of endearingly charming people I would be more than happy to befriend in reality and still clearly human in their complexities and personal baggage.  Additionally, the game posits important questions about queerness and how it impacts how we are remembered after we are gone.  In a world deeply entrenched in cissexist and heteronormative ways of viewing people, historical accounts of queer people tend to be ignored at “best” or have their lives entirely rewritten at worst.  It has only been recently through the efforts of the LGBTQ+ community, that we are beginning to uncover those lost histories.  Tabby considers this question as she explores the house, and we see the effects of this erasure as we learn more about Evie’s past.

For all my praise for this game, it is still one where I insist upon reading the content warnings the developer helpfully provides before fully diving in, as the game is full of scenes that may be deeply triggering for queer players and/or those who grew up in abusive households with strict religious upbringings.  I personally found it was better to play the game over three days, one for each level of the house, as this was an effective way of tackling the game’s heavy content without emotionally exhausting myself.

Overall, 77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation is an exquisite example of the type of stories we can only tell in video games, and one of the greatest examples of queer horror I have ever experienced.  And yes, you can pet and name the (metal inanimate) dog.

You can purchase the game either on Steam or itch.io.

Visual Art: 9 (the game relies more on photography than the digital art typically associated with indie games in the genre, so YMMV on how well that works for you)

Music & Sound Design: 10
Story: 10
Characters: 10 (Tabby & Evie feel like real people, as do the other characters for better and for worse)
Service: 0 (violence is there for discomfort, not salaciousness)
LGBTQ+: 10 

Overall: 10

Thank you so much, Patricia!  This sounds like an intriguing visual novel that I am sure folks here will be interested in.

Posted in Guest Review, Patricia Baxter, Yuri Visual Novel | 3 Comments »